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border to the capital Yaoundé, where it would either be processed at the Mvolye plant, or shipped directly to the coast for exportation. As it entered Yaoundé's suburbs in the mid-morning, it collided with another freight train heading south, and derailed. The tanker carriages were ruptured, and oil
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The emergency services arrived on the scene soon after the blaze started, but were for a long time held back by the force of the flames, which they were only able to contain, not extinguish. The fire did not stop burning for at least a day, and there were fears it might spread to the nearby central
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Authorities were unable to give an exact number of casualties, but the final number of confirmed dead was over 200 people. At least 150 people were at some time after the accident hospitalized after suffering burns. Railway services to the south of the country were cut off dealing another blow to
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sent numerous types of aid to
Cameroon following the disaster, including several prestigious medical burns specialists, as well as financial and technical help. The cause of the crash is not known, but may have had something to do with poor equipment and maintenance on the rail system due to
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A large number of local people and passing taxi drivers stopped to collect the oil in containers, which they could then sell on for a bit of extra money, when the disaster occurred. Apparently, one of the persons collecting fuel was smoking, and dropped a cigarette, creating a
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Cameroon's oil industry, following a series of border skirmishes with
Nigerian troops over control of the area two years previously.
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was the catastrophic fire following the derailment and collision of two tanker trains hauling
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35:. At least 200 people were killed in the accident, which happened on February 14, 1998.
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Cameroon's endemic corruption. Cameroon was labelled "most corrupt nation 1998" by
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The train was a regular industrial transportation service running from
Cameroon's
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265:. Transparency International. September 22, 1998. Archived from
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263:"The Corruption Perceptions Index (1998)"
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237:"Train Explosion Kills 120 in Cameroon"
206:"100 feared dead in Cameroon Explosion"
178:"Train Explosion Kills 120 in Cameroon"
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117:"Chronology of world train disasters"
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145:"100 feared dead in fuel explosion"
507:Deaths caused by petroleum looting
381:Suonenjoki rail collision, Finland
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345:Yaoundé train explosion, Cameroon
354:Jyväskylä rail accident, Finland
477:Transport disasters in Cameroon
372:Eschede train disaster, Germany
317:Railway accidents and incidents
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467:Train and rapid transit fires
390:Khanna rail disaster, India
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512:1998 disasters in Cameroon
82:Transparency International
472:Railway accidents in 1998
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363:Fatuha train crash, India
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16:1998 accident in Cameroon
492:20th century in Yaoundé
406:1999 ►
402:◄ 1997
94:Lists of rail accidents
75:Former colonial rulers
27:through the capital of
21:Yaoundé train explosion
462:Explosions in Cameroon
497:February 1998 events
482:Disasters in Yaoundé
433:3.83306°N 11.51472°E
429: /
243:. February 14, 1998
214:. February 15, 1998
186:. February 14, 1998
153:. February 15, 1998
64:petroleum depot at
457:Explosions in 1998
502:Fires in Cameroon
438:3.83306; 11.51472
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47:fields along the
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487:1998 in Cameroon
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125:. August 2, 1999
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52:began to spill.
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271:. Retrieved
267:the original
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245:. Retrieved
241:Danger Ahead
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216:. Retrieved
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127:. Retrieved
122:The Guardian
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273:24 November
247:24 November
218:24 November
190:24 November
157:24 November
129:24 November
451:Categories
424:11°30′53″E
100:References
58:flash fire
421:3°49′59″N
25:crude oil
211:BBC News
183:BBC News
150:BBC News
88:See also
49:Nigerian
29:Cameroon
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343:
323: (
39:Details
33:Yaoundé
386:Nov 26
377:Aug 12
368:Jun 3
359:Apr 4
350:Mar 6
341:Feb 14
77:France
66:Nsiam
325:1998
321:1998
275:2011
249:2011
220:2011
192:2011
159:2011
131:2011
19:The
319:in
45:oil
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228:^
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108:^
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308:e
301:t
294:v
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